by Jennifer Harker

Created on: July 25, 2009   Last Updated: July 26, 2009

Society, in general, has labeled the pit bull dog as dangerous, only in this case the word "dangerous" means "evil". It is a similar reaction as people had about sharks after the film "Jaws" came out. People were soon slaughtering sharks willy-nilly instead of trying to understand the beast. Let us kill the monster before it gets us!

Sharks are not evil monsters bent on eating us, though, and pit bulls are not evil killing machines. Both are animals that behave as natural instinct commands.

Pit bulls are a breed of dog specifically bred by humans to be powerful, tenacious, intelligent, but also intensely loyal to its owner and family. The breed also possesses a great sense of humor. A pit bull will happily die for its owner. If its owner commands it to fight another dog, the pit bull will do so because pleasing its owner is what the dog lives for.

The root of the pit bull problem is not the dog, but the irresponsible owners who use pit bulls as weapons or as bloody entertainment. These people use the dog's unselfish loyalty and courage for their own selfish gain.

Why is society striking blindly at the dogs, the victims in this matter, instead of at the owners?

Lawmakers do not want to spend the money or time needed to stiffen animal rights laws or educate the public on the proper care of powerful breed dogs. As a result countless pit bulls are condemned and put down each year, many simply because they belong to this outcast breed, and so the vicious cycle rolls on.

While I groomed dogs years ago, I was the only groomer in my town who would work with pit bulls and other powerful breeds. Every single pit bull that passed through my shop was an absolute joy. Each pit was happy to see me and never gave any trouble. A white pit bull named Lady would even grin from ear to ear as she came into the shop! The majority were family dogs with owners well aware their dog needed a firm hand. The owners held no illusions about their dogs' strength, and the dogs were happier for it.

Many of the small breed dogs I groomed, though, had little or no training, bullied their owners, and many left bite scars on my hands. The owners of the small breeds suffered from "little dog syndrome", meaning they thought their dog was too small and cute to need training or a pack leader. Fifi would never hurt anyone! She was too cute and fluffy. Yeah, tell that to the scar on my right thumb.

The owners' passive attitude caused their small dogs to become dominant because, as Cesar Millan

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